Yes, integration is very difficult, I can see this with the middle eastern immigrants in Europe. It requires close to fluency in language, but much more difficult is to really understand the culture and being able and wanting to adapt it fully. It's not enough to fake it, you have to want to make it part of your personality. Then again, judging from from those well adjusted immigrants, if you do manage to get adapt the local culture and speak the local language fluently, then you will often not only be accepted, but get extra points. In a way, an outsider assimilating is a compliment to that country and its people. Some immigrants I've met speak the local language perfectly, like how an older, upper class person would and I think that is cool too, but it's a huge undertaking. The difficult part of integrating into an Asian country or a European country (for ME people) is that the culture is ethnic, the history is ethnic, the tradition is ethnic, you can't just claim to be a part of that, so it requires that the society is somewhat modern and has values that are not based strictly on ethnicity.
On the other hand, places like the US, London, HK, Singapore etc, are multicultural by design so integrating means accepting certain values and beliefs more than ethnic culture. That's what made the US unique, that everyone could be an American if they had the right values and mindset.
On the other hand, places like the US, London, HK, Singapore etc, are multicultural by design so integrating means accepting certain values and beliefs more than ethnic culture. That's what made the US unique, that everyone could be an American if they had the right values and mindset.